page_title: USS Oklahoma City (CL-91)
section_title: Vietnam
hierarchical_section_title: USS Oklahoma City (CL-91) / Service history / Vietnam
caption_attribution_description: The U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5) firing the 15.5 cm guns in the early 1970s.
context_page_description: USS Oklahoma City was one of 27 United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruisers completed during or shortly after World War II, and one of six to be converted to guided missile cruisers. She was the first US Navy ship to be named for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Commissioned in late 1944, she participated in the latter part of the Pacific War in anti-aircraft screening and shore bombardment roles, for which she earned two battle stars. She then served a brief stint with the occupation force. Like all but one of her sister ships, she was retired in the post-war defense cutbacks, becoming part of the Pacific Reserve Fleet in 1947.
  In the late 1950s she was converted to a Galveston-class guided missile cruiser, which involved removing all her guns except for her forward 6-inch turret and 5-inch mount, and rebuilding her entire superstructure to accommodate the Talos missile system and flagship office spaces and accommodation. Like her three sister ships of the Cleveland-class ships converted to missile ships, she was also extensively modified forward to become a flagship. This involved removal of most of her forward armament to allow for a greatly enlarged superstructure.
context_section_description: In early 1964, Oklahoma City began refresher training in Southern California waters to prepare for a lengthy deployment, then departed for Yokosuka where she arrived on 7 July, to assume her duties again as 7th Fleet flagship. Shortly thereafter, North Vietnamese gunboats attacked US destroyers in the Tonkin Gulf and Oklahoma City quickly began a 25-day alert in the Gulf. Training exercises and operational visits to various ports in the Far East followed, then in June 1965, she began gunfire support missions off Vietnam. When the level of hostilities increased, she began to spend more and more time in the South China Sea and eventually participated in operations "Piranha", "Double Eagle", "Deckhouse IV", and "Hastings II." After serving as 7th Fleet flagship for two and one-half years, Oklahoma City returned to San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard on 15 December 1966, for an overhaul.
  Following her yard period, she began refresher training in the Southern California operating area in July 1967, and continued those exercises and intermittent calls to West Coast ports until she deployed again to the Western Pacific (WestPac) 7 November 1968. She arrived at Yokosuka 20 December, and into August 1969, was again contributing to the strength of the 7th Fleet. The ship provided naval gunfire support for troops in South Vietnam, gunfire operations against coastal targets in North Vietnam and anti-aircraft operations in North Vietnam. In April 1969, Oklahoma City was sent to the Sea of Japan with three carrier groups after North Korea shot down an EC-121 spy plane.
  As of 1 July 1969, Oklahoma City was under the administrative control of Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Force, US Pacific Fleet and Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Nine. Both Commanders had their headquarters in San Diego, California. Oklahoma City was flagship and under the operational control of Commander Seventh Fleet. Also, while in the Western Pacific, Oklahoma City reported to Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group Seventh Fleet for administrative purposes. As Flagship for Commander Seventh Fleet, Oklahoma City was designated flagship Group TG 70.1 with the Commanding Officer as Commander of the Group. Oklahoma City also served as a unit of TG 70.8.9 while providing gunfire support off the coast of Vietnam. The ship was homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, at the time.
  Upon arrival at Yankee Station in September 1969, Oklahoma City conducted helicopter operations. She also refueled from the replenishment ship Ashtabula and was visited by Rear Admiral Isaman, Commander Carrier Division Seven and Rear Admiral McClendon, Commander Carrier Division Nine. En route to Okinawa, Oklahoma City experienced a drop in chemical readings in number 4 boiler caused by a leak in tube Y-36. Upon arrival Okinawa, the ship conducted Exercise Z-3l-GM, short range Talos missile firing exercise, in Okinawa operating area W-173.
  On 4 February, 1972, Oklahoma City fired the first successful combat surface-to-surface missile shot in US Navy history, using the new Talos RIM-8H anti-radiation missile to destroy a North Vietnamese mobile air control radar van. On 19 April 1972, the cruiser was attacked by one of two Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) MiG-17s, flown by pilots Le Xuan Di and Nguyen Van Bay (aka Bay B), both from the VPAF 923rd Fighter Regiment. Each MiG was armed with two 500 pounds (227 kg) bombs, Van Bay's target was the light cruiser. Van Bay made two passes on the cruiser, having overshot his target on the first run, dropped his two bombs near Oklahoma City, but caused only light damage. Another accompanying ship, the destroyer Higbee was damaged by a direct hit from the second MiG flown by pilot Le Xuan Di, which destroyed her aft 5–inch gun mount.
  In April 1975, Oklahoma City participated in Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam. Following this she was slated for a massive overhaul, as her flagship facilities, as well as her 6-inch guns made her an attractive asset to retain in service. Her now obsolete Talos system would be removed and two Sea Sparrow SAM systems
caption: Performing fire support off Vietnam.
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